Phillies Opening Day: Start time, how to watch and stream

It’s opening day for the Phillies, and the team is beginning its much-anticipated 2022 season against the Oakland Athletics at Citizens Bank Park, where fans will finally get to see new sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos step to the plate.

Thanks to a club-record $240 million payroll, excitement is sky-high for the team, which hasn’t made the playoffs since 2011. Schwarber and Castellanos will be joined on offense by reigning National League MVP Bryce Harper, who who finished a shortened spring training with eight home runs and 14 RBIs.

The pressure is on for Phillies manager Joe Girardi, who is in the final year of a three-year contract. His deal has a team option for 2023, but the Phillies have yet to pick it up, making him something of a lame-duck entering the season.

» READ MORE: Phillies 2022 season preview: Biggest storylines, predictions, roster outlook and more

“I feel pressure all the time,” Girardi told reporters during spring training. “Pressure comes from within. Pressure doesn’t come from the outside for me.”

“I’ve never had a contract picked up or renegotiated during the season,” Girardi added. “I never worry about it. I worry about today. I’m going to worry about what we do opening day.”

Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream the Phillies’ opening day matchup against the Oakland Athletics:

The game is scheduled to begin at 3:05 p.m. Eastern, and will air live on NBC10.

Calling the game will be Tom McCarthy, the voice of the Phillies on NBC Sports Philadelphia, who is entering his 13th season doing play-by-play. Joining him in the booth will be analysts John Kruk and Ruben Amaro Jr.

The game will also air on 94.1 WIP, with Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen on the call. Former NBC Sports Philadelphia reporter Gregg Murphy will handle pre- and postgame radio coverage.

The game will be available on the MyTeams app and on the NBC Sports Philadelphia website, but you’ll need a cable subscription.

NBC10 is also available to stream for free with a digital antenna for viewers across the Delaware Valley. It’s also available on a host of so-called skinny bundles, including Hulu With Live TV, DirecTV Stream, Sling TV, FuBoTV, or YouTube TV.

» READ MORE: Phillies fans will need Peacock and Apple+ this season, but they’ll get less A-Rod

Dan Baker, who is entering his 50th season as the Phillies public address announcer, will throw the first pitch.

Baker, 75, who has been with the team since its second season at Veterans Stadium in 1972, is the longest-tenured public address announcer in the league. Technically this would be his 51st season, but he was unable to work during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season due to illness.

Baker offered a sneak preview of how he’ll announce Castellanos to former 97.5 The Fanatic host Marc Farzetta, who hosts The Farzy Show on YouTube.

As with every Phillies game, Inquirer staff writers Scott Lauber and Alex Coffey will be covering all the action live on Gameday Central. You can find coverage of the game at Inquirer.com/Phillies and in our Sports Daily newsletter.

Prior to the game, NBC 10 will air a Welcome Home Phillies special at 2 p.m., featuring Keith Jones, Erin Coleman, John Clark, Tim Furlong, and Aunyea Lachelle.

Telemundo62 will air La Fiebre Roja from 11:30 a.m. to noon live from Citizens Bank Park, featuring Jaime Becerril, Brian Mendoza, Isabel Sánchez, and Miguel Martínez Valle.

Phillies Pregame Live, hosted by Michael Barkann and featuring Ricky Bottalico and Ben Davis, will air on NBC Sports Philadelphia at 1 p.m. Following the game, the trio will return for Phillies Postgame Live.

Overall, Philadelphia is 65-72-2 on opening day, dating back to the then-Philadelphia Quakers’ 4-3 loss to the Providence Grays in 1883. Yes, there were two ties — both 1923′s opening game against the Brooklyn Dodgers and 1924′s against the Boston Braves were called due to darkness, because ballparks at the time didn’t have lights.

The Phillies have never played Oakland on opening day. Of course, the Athletics began as a Philadelphia team in 1901, winning five World Series under Hall of Fame manager Connie Mack, who managed the team for 50 seasons. But they cut and run from the city and Shibe Park in 1954, when Chicago real estate magnate Arnold Johnson bought the team and thought it’d be more profitable to relocate to Kansas City. They moved to Oakland in 1968.

But we may be making too much of the team’s opening day record. After all, the Phillies lost their home opener in 1993, 2008, and 2009 — and went on to win the National League pennant in all three years, including a World Series win in 2008.

We don’t know yet what Phillies manager Joe Girardi’s lineup will look like, but the team announced its full opening day roster Thursday:

» READ MORE: Addition of Bryson Stott makes Phillies’ infield a more complex puzzle

You might notice there’s no pitcher in the Phillies batting lineup. Beginning this year, the designated hitter is now universal across both the American and National League, meaning Aaron Nola will end his career with a 0.089 batting average (as long as he’s not called up to pinch hit).

Here’s a rundown of other new rules in Major League Baseball this season:

The Phillies start the season with six straight home games before hitting the road for a couple of series in Miami and Colorado.

Nearly every game in April will air on NBC Sports Philadelphia or NBC Sports Philadelphia+, though the Phillies will make their first ESPN appearance on Sunday Night Baseball on April 24 against the Milwaukee Brewers.